Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Rumors: “I expect he’ll play in the NHL this season, perhaps not with the Oilers.”

Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with excerpts from the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation from all of the internet’s best sites including Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, The Athletic, TSN and more!

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Lowetide.ca

EASIER SAID THAN DONE

The Oilers don’t have one dozen young forwards pushing for work this season, but if we include all positions we get to an interesting number of prospects who have a chance to play with the big team at some point this season.

  • RHD Evan Bouchard – Added to a small power-play role, chances are Bouchard posts 25+ points in his first full season.
  • LC Ryan McLeod – I think we can say he’ll play in 50 games with Edmonton and land close enough for jazz.
  • LW Tyler Benson –  I expect he’ll play in the NHL this season, perhaps not with the Oilers.
  • LHD William Lagesson – I expect there’s a chance Tippett keeps 8 blue to start the season and Lagesson could play 25+ games in 2021-22.
  • LC Dylan Holloway – I don’t think he makes the opening night lineup but will play in the NHL this coming season.

BLH’s Thoughts: LT has eight or nine more names on his list, but these are the most notable and worth talking about. 

Everything on the left side of the roster is basically blocked by vets, so any winger or defenseman looking to make the club on that side will have to outplay an NHL player with experience.

So, Evan Bouchard is a given, but if I had to take a wild guess, I’d say that Broberg or Samorukov gets a shot because something might go down on the right side of the defense, like an injury, and Ken Holland specifically mentioned the Swede and I believe Dmitri Samorukov as players who could play their weak side.

Maybe Filip Berglund because he’s an older player who’s a right-shot could get a call-up. Perhaps as a showcase for a move?… 

Oilersnation (Laing)

Edmonton Oilers player review and 2021-22 preview: Tyler Ennis
  • …he drew into the lineup scoring three goals and nine points in 30 games.
  • With him on the ice at 5×5, the Oilers controlled 45.89 percent of the shot attempts, 52.17 percent of the goals and 47.87 percent of the expected goals while posting an inflated 102 PDO. 
  • …at even-strength this year Ennis provided offensive value at a seven percent rate above league average and defence at a three percent rate below league average.
  • His offensive production at 5×5 was very good. He scored 1.54 points per hour last season, good enough for fourth among all Oilers forwards.
  • He’s a player that the Oilers could consider bringing back on a cheap deal for next season.

BLH’s Thoughts: Ennis was electrifying when he played last year but I suspect that it wasn’t his offensive game that the coach’s had a problem with last season… 

NHLRumors.com

BLH’s Thoughts: You know, the Islanders are being awfully quiet these days and there’s a thought out there that Russian hockey players enjoy playing in the New York area… This would be just the kind of move Lou Lamoriello could pull off too… Imagine a Barzal-Kaprizov pairing going forward for the Islanders?

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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Can Dave Tippett’s Squad Outscore their Mistakes in 2021-22?

Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with excerpts from the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation from all of the internet’s best sites including Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, The Athletic, TSN and more!

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Oilersnation (Laing)

Edmonton Oilers player review and 2021-22 preview: Gaetan Haas
  • Haas was just what the Oilers needed — a steady defensive forward. His underlying numbers were far from great, but I think you can point to the fact he started the majority of his shifts in the defensive zone and had a very low on-ice shooting percentage of just 4.95 percent…
  • With him on the ice at 5×5, the Oilers controlled 43.56 percent of the shot attempts, 33.33 percent of the goals and 43.09 percent of the expected goal while posting a low 97.2 PDO. 
  • At 5×5, he provided offence at an 11 percent rate below league average and defence at a staggering nine percent above league average.
  • …he provided some good value on the penalty kill, where the Oilers expected goals against rate was 12 percent better than league average with him on the ice.

BLH’s Thoughts: I loved Haas. The Swiss forward was so entertaining to watch because he had real speed and a quickness about him, he has tenacious and often first to the puck in any race he was involved in. He was gritty and unpredictable and it’s unfortunate he was miscast in Edmonton and probably should’ve been a winger due to his size and lack of strength. 

The Athletic

Lowetide: What are reasonable expectations for the 2021-22 Oilers?
  • Expect more goals at both ends of the ice. Many more goals.
  • Special teams have been a key to success for the current Oilers, but overall the club has been under 30 shots per 60 minutes for several years.
  • Teams get clocked by Edmonton when the team is on the power play, but at even strength and overall the shots per 60 totals are outside the elite teams.
  • Tippett’s Oilers are scoring more goals on about the same number of shots, meaning the quality of chances have increased and/or accuracy has improved.
  • Entering the 2020-21 season, the Oilers were clearly established as a team that would surrender over 31 shots per 60 minutes. 
  • Edmonton is a better than average team overall in goals against, owing to suppressing shot quality for opponents. 
  • The Oilers in 2020-21 had the best goals-against since 2016-17, the season most fans would pick as the best of the McDavid era.
  • The 2020-21 season delivered the best results since 2016-17, owing to strong outscoring numbers by the team’s best players, along with Mike Smith in goal and fine work by Larsson (1.90 goals-against per 60 at five-on-five) in a workhorse shutdown role.
  • Holland added several forwards (Zach Hyman, Warren Foegele, Derek Ryan) to the established group in hopes of finding two scoring lines and a No. 3 line that could get closer to outscoring opponents at five-on-five.
  • He also brought in several top-nine forwards who can penalty kill. 
  • Edmonton’s forwards are going to give the team a more dynamic even-strength presence. Expect more than last season’s 2.82 goals per 60 at even strength…
  • Defending will be the issue and that will include all three pairings.
  • In goal, Smith had a strong season one year ago (.923 save percentage), and Mikko Koskinen had struggles early and late but ran well when he was on enough rest. An example: In his 10 games between Feb. 9 and April 28, Koskinen posted a 6-4-0 record with a 2.25 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage.
  • The Oilers will need at least that level of goaltending to keep competitive with the defence in front of Smith or Koskinen.
  • If the Oilers play all 82 games scheduled in 2021-22, the club could score as many as 285 goals.
  • How many points will McDavid deliver in 2021-22? A 150-point season seems probable. If the goal is a deep playoff run, a deadline tweak for a goaltender may be necessary. It’s tough to win in the playoffs with chaos defence, no matter how many goals the Oilers score.

BLH’s Thoughts: The Oilers only play seven games in the first month of the season, so we may not know what this team is until well into the second month when their workload doubles. If Edmonton is going to outscore their opponents handily and consistently, they’d best do it from the get go and build up an early points percentage advantage in the standings. 

NHLRumors.com

Sara Civian of The Athletic: (mailbag) Believe that the Carolina Hurricanes will sign restricted free agent forward Andrei Svechnikov to a bridge contract with a salary cap hit between $7 and $8 million.

The Hurricanes have been linked to Vladimir Tarasenko.

Lyle Richardson of The Hockey News: 24-year old restricted free agent forward Kirill Kaprizov reportedly has a $10 million-ish contract offer from CSKA of the KHL. His name could come up in the rumor mill.

If the Wild were to consider trading Kaprizov, the number of teams that would be able to fit in a big contract would limited. 11 teams have over $10 million in cap space, but many of those teams have other issues that need to be addressed.

Three potential fits could be the Buffalo Sabres (previous links involving Jack Eichel), Anaheim Ducks and the Detroit Red Wings.

BLH’s Thoughts: The balls on this Russian are the size of the Kremlin, aren’t they? To turn down a $9M/yr contract after one season in the league blows my mind. He won’t be making any friends amongst the players, that’s for sure and if I were Bill Guerin, I’d let him play in Moscow for the year. Minnesota could use that $9M elsewhere to bolster their lineup, could they not? Better yet, make the deal for Eichel and use Kaprizov as the anchor to the trade. 

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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Could the Oilers Have a Chance at Someone on this List of UFAs for Next Summer?

Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with excerpts from the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation from all of the internet’s best sites including Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, The Athletic, TSN and more!

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Oil on Whyte (Courville-Lynch)

Oilers: Depth added as Slater Koekkoek is back for two more seasons
  • The Edmonton Oilers have re-signed defenseman Slater Koekkoek to a two-year contract extension, worth $925K AAV as reported first by Mark Spector. The Oilers add to their depth by locking up Koekkoek, who can be trusted to step into the lineup at any time, and produce.
  • This two-year bridge deal leaves room to breathe for the Oilers, who have struggled on defense for the past few seasons and haven’t been able to find a defensive unit that makes everyone happy.
  • I think this defensive unit could turn out to be an improvement from last season, although the team lost Adam Larsson, Ethan Bear, and Caleb Jones, they have bounced back well and secured guys that could be solid replacements, and this now, finally, gives Bouchard a chance to move full time into the lineup.

BLH’s Thoughts: With how Ken Holland has structured the left-side of his defense, it looks to me that he’s expecting his young guns (Samorukov, Niemelainen, and Broberg) to take a season or two in Bakersfield and then be ready to jump up to Edmonton as the contracts of Duncan Keith, Kris Russell, and Slater Koekkoek are expiring. 

Oilersnation (Lewis)

ON’s 2021 Prospects Countdown – No. 18: Jake Chiasson

Position: Centre / Right Wing 
Shoots: Right
Nationality: Canada
Date of Birth: May 25, 2003
Drafted: 2021, No. 116 overall (EDM)
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 165 lbs

  • Jake Chiasson is the first player the Oilers have selected out of the Western Hockey League since they used their first- and third-round selections on Kailer Yamamoto and Stuart Skinner back in 2017.
  • Chiasson produced well on a very successful Brandon Wheat Kings team and scouts have spoken highly about his two-way game.
  • There’s some disagreement among scouts about Chiasson’s skating. Some say that he has a fluent stride and can quickly get up to top speed while others, such as Corey Pronman of The Athletic, suggest that Chiasson’s skating is an issue and needs major work.
  • He has good offensive instincts and creativity in the offensive zone and isn’t afraid to go into the dirty areas and work along the boards in order to retrieve the puck for his linemates. 

BLH’s Thoughts: I think we won’t really know what the Oilers have in this player until the end of 2021-22 when the WHL has played a proper season. I can’t say much on him because I’ve not seen him play a shift and from the highlight packages available, they don’t tell me much aside from he’s  not afraid to park his ace in front of the net and outwork the defenseman for goals. 

This is fine, we’ll just watch him this year and see where he takes us. 

NHLRumors.com

Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report: Looking at some of the possible unrestricted free agents for next offseason and bold predictions of where they could end up and what their next contracts could look like.

  • Aleksander Barkov – Florida Panthers – Prediction: eight-year extension worth $9 million per season with the Panthers.
  • Patrice Bergeron – Boston Bruins – Prediction: re-signing with two years at $6 million.
  • Sean Couturier – Philadelphia Flyers – Prediction: a seven-year extension with the Flyers worth $8 million per.
  • Marc-Andre Fleury – Chicago Blackhawks – Prediction: a one-year with the Penguins worth $5.75 million.
  • Filip Forsberg – Nashville Predators – Prediction: an eight-year extension with the Predators at $9 million per.
  • Johnny Gaudreau – Calgary Flames – Prediction: a seven-year deal with the Flyers at $8 million per.
  • John Klingberg – Dallas Stars – Prediction: a six-year extension with the Stars worth $7.5 million a season.
  • Evgeni Malkin – Pittsburgh Penguins – Prediction: three-year extension with the Penguins at a $6 million cap hit.
  • Kris Letang – Pittsburgh Penguins – Prediction: three-year extension with the Penguins at a $4.25 million cap hit.
  • Morgan Rielly – Toronto Maple Leafs – Prediction: a seven-year extension with the Kraken at $9 million a year.
  • Mika Zibanejad – New York Rangers – Prediction: a six-year extension with the Rangers at a $9 million cap hit.

BLH’s Thoughts: I wonder if the Penguins finally decide to turn the page on the Crosby era and move on from Malkin and Letang? Malkin’s been rumored to be heading to Florida for a few years now and it seems that Letang is always on the NHL trade boards as we’ve approached the end of his current deal. Ron Hextall needs some cap flexibility and those two take up a significant chunk of Pittsburgh’s cap. 

I don’t think that the Oilers have a chance at anybody on this list except for one person, Marc-Andre Fleury. He’ll be 37 next season and we all know Ken Holland loves himself a cagey veteran. Top that off with the fact that Georges Laraque said this past season on Oilers Now that MA Fleury would go to Edmonton to help the Oilers win. 

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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers: Kraken Watching Tyler Benson Situation Closely…

Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with excerpts from the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation from all of the internet’s best sites including Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, The Athletic, TSN and more!

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Cult of Hockey (Staples)

Mysteries of Edmonton Oilers revealed: Why the team is keen about Slater Koekkoek?
  • I was glad to see Slater Koekkoek signed. He did very well in softer minutes. He’s a steady passer and OK defender, a smart player. Not only that, if he doesn’t make it there’s no cap penalty in just burying his contract in the AHL.
  • By that metric (which players make major contributions to Grade A chances for and which players make major mistakes on Grade A chances against.), Koekkoek showed up well. He played against softer competition, not the difficult attackers that players like Adam Larsson or Darnell Nurse regularly faced, but he held his own on defence and chipped in consistently on the attack.
  • One mark held against Koekkoek is that when he was on the ice at even strength, the Oilers scored just four goals for and gave up 12 goals against.
    • If you dig into how many major mistakes he made on those 12 even strength goals against, that number is just six, just 50 per cent of the goals against.
    • That was the lowest rate on the team for a d-man other than shut-down stalwart (Adam) Larsson…
    • Compare that to Ethan Bear, who was on the ice for 29 even strength goals against but made major mistakes on 24 of them, 82.8 per cent…
    • …the Oilers have kept Koekkoek, who did well by this metric, but moved on from Jones, who struggled, and from Bear, who struggled at the start of the year before coming on very strong as the year went on.

BLH’s Thoughts: Ethan Bear and Caleb Jones got obliterated last year according to The Cult of Hockey’s numbers and if the Oilers track the numbers in any way similar to what the CoH does, we can safely come to the conclusion that the Oilers are a better team without those two defenders.

It’s simple, Dave Tippett and the Oilers do not have time for players who are constantly at fault for shots that end up in the back of Edmonton’s net. 

So, yes, Bear and Jones might be fantastic puck movers but last season, when they f*cked up, more often than not (truly), the puck was in their net and that’s unacceptable. Want to improve 5v5 scoring? Keep the puck out of your own net… 

Lowetide.ca

END OF THE LINE
  • I’m a fan of bringing Koekkoek in, his Edmonton numbers don’t rhyme but his career as a whole looks good. KK arrived, struggled, had a good two-week run in the back half of January before getting injured. I think he’ll play 50+ games
  • Lagesson would be the first recall, after that Berglund, Samorukov, Niemelainen and Broberg would be in the mix.
  • First recall option in goal would be Stuart Skinner, suspect they’ll want Woodcroft, Manson and whoever replaces Houle to have a long look at Ilya Konovalov before he is elevated.
  • Up front, first LW recall would be Brendan Perlini and let’s face it he could make the team with Benson waived and possibly headed to Bakersfield. At center, Holloway and Marody on right wing.
  • The Oilers STILL have plenty of room. It’s crazy. They could add six names today and still not get to 50.
  • …at this point we’re probably looking at training camp invites and PTO’s as opposed to full signings. RHD and RC are always areas that can be shored up.

BLH’s Thoughts: Considering what I’ve heard, I don’t think Benson makes it through waivers. There are teams out there who value his scoring ability too much to let him get to Bakersfield untouched. 

William Lagesson, on the other hand, I could see him slipping through to Bakersfield. LHD are a dime a dozen. 

I am not concerned about the roster getting filled out today. There’s lots of time to see how the rest of the market plays out this summer and then make a move to sign someone or offer some PTOs. Consider the kinds of players that are still unsigned like Bobby Ryan, Derrick Brassard, Alex Chiasson, and Sami Vatanen.

Lots of time and plenty of options still out there… 

Spector’s Hockey

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Dan Kingerski looked at this summer’s top-five trade candidates who haven’t been moved yet and why.

  • Topping his list, of course, is Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel. The stalemate between Eichel and the club’s medical staff over a medical procedure to repair a herniated disc in his neck is the main factor.
  • Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov is next. Reports from this spring claimed the club was out of patience with his inconsistent play and off-ice antics.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins’ limited cap space saw winger Jason Zucker’s name surface in the rumor mill. His low production last season, caused in part by a lower-body injury, and his $5.5 million annual average value should ensure Zucker remains a Penguin this season.
  • Winger Vladimir Tarasenko wants to be traded and the St. Louis Blues are trying to move him but no one wants to take on his full $7.5 million cap hit through 2022-23.
  • Calgary Flames winger Matthew Tkachuk surfaced in rumors with reports linking him to Toronto and his hometown of St. Louis. Flames GM Brad Treliving, however, shot down that speculation.

BLH’s Thoughts: Does anybody else feel like a lot of these guys could simply be traded for each other and that would even out any money problems or, in some cases, destination challenges?

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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Talk: What’s Going to Happen with Lagesson and Benson?

Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with excerpts from the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation from all of the internet’s best sites including Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, The Athletic, TSN and more!

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Oilersnation (baggedmilk)

Edmonton Oilers sign Slater Koekkoek to a two-year contract with $925,000 AAV
  • The Edmonton Oilers have re-signed defenceman, Slater Koekkoek, to a two-year contract that carries a $925,000 cap hit.
  • A depth signing to be sure, Koekkoek was a guy that Dave Tippett seemingly trusted and I wonder how much of the coach’s input was taken into account for this extension.
  • What’s interesting about Koekkoek’s new deal is that, just like Devin Shore, Holland decided to give him a second year to stick around as a depth piece even though he will likely get passed on the depth chart by prospects like Broberg or Samorukov before this thing is over.
  • In 18 games played with the Oilers in 2021, Koekkoek registered a single goal and two PIMs while averaging 13:10 in TOI to go along with a 40.4 CF% and a 94.1 PDo.

BLH’s Thoughts: Woof! That PDO is awfully low… That says to me that there’s a better player waiting to get out and we’ve got some more to see from Koekkoek… Color me excited!

Holland’s just doing what he said he was going to and that’s use term as an incentive to keep AAV down. All said, this is a deal that can easily be buried or traded. 

Do you reckon William Lagesson clears waivers if he’s put on? 

Edmonton Sun (Van Diest)

Tyler Benson ready to make jump to Oilers this upcoming season
  • The Edmonton Oilers prospect has been developing in the American Hockey League for the past three years after overcoming injuries coming out of junior, and is expected to challenge for an NHL roster sport this upcoming season.
  • The Edmonton Oilers prospect has been developing in the American Hockey League for the past three years after overcoming injuries coming out of junior, and is expected to challenge for an NHL roster sport this upcoming season.
  • Benson set an Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League scoring record in 2013 with 57 goals and 146 points in 33 games. He was the first-overall selection in the WHL Bantam Draft that season and went on to play four years with the Giants.
  • A hip and sports hernia injury hampered Benson through his time with the Giants and spend most of his time rehabilitating heading into the pro level.
  • Benson’s offensive instincts were a reason the Oilers were so high on him during his draft year, yet it’ll be his defensive ability keeping him in an Oilers’ jersey this upcoming season.

BLH’s Thoughts: I don’t know folks. I have a really hard time seeing Benson make it onto this Oilers roster. His bread and butter isn’t being a defensive forward, it’s his playmaking and board work. Asking him to become Jere Lehtinen or Patrice Bergeron is paramount to asking Nail Yakupov to switch his playing style and turn into Igor Larionov and we all know how that turned out… 

The Oilers have drawn their line in the sand with regards to who they want in their top-six or the foreseeable future and that’s Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Warren Foegele with Dylan Holloway coming right behind them. 

I’m not saying Benson can’t or won’t make it. Perhaps Devin Shore has a bad camp or somebody gets hurt and the door opens for Tyler, but if that’s the optimistic POV, it’s not a good place to be. 

I have to wonder if Holland has a deal in his back pocket that’ll include Benson heading out of town. He’s still a good prospect and there are definitely teams that have interest in him. The cupboard just seems a bit too full in Edmonton for him though. 

NHLTradeRumors.me

New York Islanders: 2 Players Who Could Be Traded Next Season

  • Josh Bailey: Bailey is due $5 million for the next three seasons and he’s one of the only core forwards for the Islanders who doesn’t hold trade protection.
  • Leo Komarov: The 34-year-old is in the final season of his contract paying him $3 million and holds no-trade protection against seven teams…  if the Islanders want to move him, they will certainly have to eat some of the remaining salary on his expiring contract.

Dallas Stars: 2 Players Who Could Be Traded Next Season

  • John Klingberg: Klingberg is a pending free agent and if a contract extension isn’t complete before the trade deadline, look for the Stars to consider some offers.
  • Jake Oettinger: The young netminder is now stuck behind three capable goaltenders, who if they all can get/remain healthy, may push him out the door… if any of the veterans run away with the net, perhaps Dallas considers moving the young tender for a piece up front.
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